# Coax Mp3tag to check non-audio files for APEv2 tags? **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [October 5, 2018, 4:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162 "2018-10-05T04:58:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ElectricKeet](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/electrickeet/32/5753_2.png) [@ElectricKeet](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ElectricKeet)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 4:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162/1 "2018-10-05T04:58:48Z")
I'm a happy long-time user of both foobar2000 and Mp3tag. I'm using [fb2k's "External Tags" plugin](https://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_external_tags) to store ReplayGain values for filetypes that can't be tagged (chiefly semi-obscure videogame music formats). These external `.tag` files are stored as simply a header of `TAGFILE` followed by a proper APEv2 tag. You may already see where this is going. The opportunity to use Mp3tag's web sources to assist in tagging is enticing! (Even more so when I fix my MobyGames script.) But even when told to accept `.tag` files, it won't actually read them... unless I rename them to an `.ape` type, in which case Mp3tag happily reads and writes the tags while leaving the header intact! So here's my question: Is there any way to convince Mp3tag to work with these without the awkward renaming workaround? ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 6:46am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162/2 "2018-10-05T06:46:25Z")
You can tell MP3tag to include more or less any files in the file list, see File\>Options\>Mpeg\>Files to include Yet, MP3tag only modifies supported files that introduce themselves with the correct file extension. I mean: you can load a PDF or JPG file but still not modify their metadata even though both have this feature. Also, I am not sure if it really works. I can rename the odd document.pdf to document.mp3 but still I cannot add metadata. ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 7:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162/3 "2018-10-05T07:51:01Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#): > > Also, I am not sure if it really works. I can rename the odd document.pdf to document.mp3 but still I cannot add metadata. You can add ID3V2-Metatdata and MP3Tag keeps them and shows them. But naturally they are not PDF-Metadata and the file as a pdf gets corrupted. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 8:02am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162/4 "2018-10-05T08:02:57Z")
> [@poster](#): > > the file as a pdf gets corrupted. True. You would have to load it back into MP3tag as the mock audio file, remove the tag, save that modification and rename the file to its original format. ---
**Author:** ![Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/florian/32/5759_2.png) [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 9:07am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162/5 "2018-10-05T09:07:22Z")
> [@ElectricKeet](#): > > So here's my question: Is there any way to convince Mp3tag to work with these without the awkward renaming workaround? Currently, there is no way of doing this. I'll add APEv2 support for `*.tag` files to my internal wish list and will come back when there is some progress on that. ---
**Author:** ![ElectricKeet](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/electrickeet/32/5753_2.png) [@ElectricKeet](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ElectricKeet)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162/6 "2018-10-05T19:50:28Z")
> [@Florian](#): > > I'll add APEv2 support for `*.tag` files to my internal wish list and will come back when there is some progress on that. Many thanks! In the meantime, I have workarounds that still let me use the software, so once again I thank you for Mp3tag. It's a real time saver... and a real sanity saver! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/coax-mp3tag-to-check-non-audio-files-for-apev2-tags/43162/7 "2026-02-09T12:27:42Z")